Ashley Bansal, Grand Forks, letter: Society reaps benefits from birth control

GRAND FORKS — I would like to clarify some information that Matt Rothchild may have overlooked (“Birth control impacts every corner of society,” Page D3, June 12).

In his letter, Rothchild claims that the U.S. is “barely replacing the people who die.” But the U.S. Census Bureau states there is a net gain of one person every 13 seconds, with one birth every 8 seconds and one death every 13 seconds.

I concede that the fertility rate has declined over the past 30 years. But a decrease in fertility rate does not imply a decrease in birth rate, as there are far more people now giving birth than there were several decades ago.

So, the problem is not that society will “lack sustainable demographic growth.” The problem is, do women in today’s society have the means to raise the next generation?

Birth control gives women who risk becoming pregnant the ability to hold off on raising a child while going to college or finding a career, as an earlier letter-writer had noted.

While it’s true that college is expensive, the cost of raising a child is several times greater. The ability to plan and prepare for a child is not only less stressful for the parent(s), but also ensures that when a child is born, he or she will be provided for.

This is why I feel it’s imperative for all women to have readily available access to any type of birth control they choose.

So, this begs the question: What harm does birth control really have on society? If we look past Rothchild’s misleading “sociological analysis,” we can see how birth control actually improves the lives of women, their children and society.

In fact, it’s clear that the benefits of affordable birth control are much more significant than any debates about “Obamacare” or worries about there not being enough children in future generations.

Ashley Bansal

Tags: in the mail, birth control, womens health, opinion, health